Terrorists, famously known as bandits, have grounded a surveillance military jet around Badna Chukuba village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
Although details of the incident remain sketchy at press time, a local around the village told WikkiTimes the terrorists who took down the jet are loyal to Dogo Gide, a bandit kingpin terrorising Kaduna and Niger states.
In response to the attack, the military has “started bombing the axis,” he said, adding residents are currently trooping to other safer places.
Cattle-rustling Terrorists Raid Niger Communities Unchallenged for 3 Days, Targeting Herders
Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, spokesman for Nigerian Air Force, could not immediately respond to an inquiry sent to him.
Cattle-rustling bandits, in attacks that lasted for three days, have been wreaking havoc in some parts of Niger State since last Friday, targeting herders and seizing their cattle.
The military operatives deployed to combat them, however, lurked around the Tegina-Zungeru highway, where they exchanged fire with the terrorists yesterday.
The gun duel, a local told WikkiTimes, continued until early this morning. “The soldiers lost about 12 men, but killed scores of the terrorists and recovered the rustled cattle,” he said.
Another source said the bodies of the slain soldiers have been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Zungeru, the headquarters of Wushishi LGA. Some soldiers also sustained injuries, he added.
In a Twitter post by one Ahmed, residents were seen watching a military helicopter that deposited the bodies at the hospital.
